Stephen Welsh admits he knew his Celtic career was over when he was sent back to Motherwell on loan in January.
The centre-back impressed at Fir Park, but not enough to force his way into the plans back at Parkhead and eventually joined Swansea in the summer, making his Championship debut at the weekend.
Celtic sacrificed any transfer fee, agreeing to rip up the player's contract to allow him to move on for nothing.
Welsh says that came entirely from the club's side, but he was already resigned to leaving permanently anyway.
“Originally it came from them which is fair enough,” Welsh told CeltsAreHere. “Going back to Motherwell in January that was probably the point that I knew that I had to move on in the summer.
“It’s a tough decision but I think selfishly you need to make decisions for your own career, they need to for the club as well so we just came to an agreement that it would be best to move on.
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“As soon as Swansea came calling it was a no-brainer for me.”
Asked if he was surprised Celtic let him go for nothing, he added: “Yeah, I don’t know the financial logistics but for me it’s about playing and being involved with the squad.
“Obviously they didn’t see me as part of that which is fair enough. It’s a football business at the end of the day which is cutthroat so you need to respect every decision made.
“Honestly it probably suited me in the end because I get to come down here without any transfer fees. It was club to player which made it easier for Swansea.”
